Toy construction kit



Nov. 25, 1969 F sc 3,479,762

TOY CONSTRUCTION KIT Filed Jan. 25. 1968 lnventar:

Ar+ur F75c6er nited States Patent M Int. Cl. A6311 33/00 lU.S. Cl. 4611 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a toy construction kit of the type comprising elements which are provided with cooperating coupling portions of male and female type, a multi-purpose element constitutes a receptacle or a portion thereof for storing of the remaining elements of the kit, and is provided with at least one female coupling portion which is configurated so as to cooperate with the male coupling portions of the remaining elements of the kit so that the same can be connected to the multi-purpose element, whereby the latter can also be used as a structural part in conjunction with such remaining elements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS A related application was filed in the name of Artur Fischer on Nov. 8, 1965 under Ser. No. 514,165 and bears the title Assembly Kit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to a novel article of manufacture, and more particularly to a multi-purpose element for toy construction kits.

From my afore-mentioned copending application toy construction kits are known which comprises a plurality of structural elements provided with cooperating male and female coupling portions. This makes it possible for these structural elements to be joined together for the purpose of constructing various models, such as buildings, trucks, planes and the like. Such kits usually involve a relatively large number of discrete elements and are therefore supplied with the various elements contained in a receptacle which may be in form of a one part or two part blocks or the like.

To provide a solid base for whichever model is to be constructed, and to permit the erection of a relatively large-sized models, there is usually provided a structural element in form of a base plate which may be as large as the inner dimensions of the receptacle permit. Generally speaking, this type of arrangement is satisfactory, However, it does necessitate some unnecessary expense, it being clear that the large flat area which is to be provided by supplying the base plate is in fact already present in the form of one or more surfaces of the receptacle. Thus, if one or more such surfaces were to be utilized in lieu of the separate base plate, the latter could be omitted and the cost of the construction kit could be lowered accordingly. This is an important consideration.

It has therefore already been proposed to utilize one or more surfaces of the receptacle for this purpose. To do so, the surface or surfaces involved were provided with projecting coupling heads constituting male coupling portions, and these coupling heads could be introduced into female coupling portions in form of recesses provided on the respective structural elements of the kit.

However, this has not been found to be fully satisfactory because it limits the versatility of the receptacle or portion thereof which is provided with these projections. It is clear that the provision of such projections prevents the use of the surface on which they are located Patented Nov. 25, 1969 as an uninterrupted abutment face thus making it impossible to support on such face in surface-to-surface contact therewith any structural elements or combination of such elements whose area is larger than the available surface area intermediate adjacent ones of the projecting coupling heads. Also, if it is necessary to support structural elements or combinations thereof, directly on such a surface so that they may perform sliding or rotating movements thereon, the provision of these coupling heads will constitute a bar to such a construction.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide, as a novel article of manufacture, a multipurpose structural element for toy construction kits whose elements have cooperating coupling portions of the male and female type, but which multi-purpose structural element is not possessed of the disadvantages outlined above.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an element which, when the kit is in use, can serve as a structural element in conjunction with one or more of the remaining elements and, when the kit is not in use, constitute partly or entirely the receptacle in which the remaining structural elements can be stored.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a multi-purpose element which is simple to construct, inexpensive and which will lend itself readily to mass-production manufacturing techniques.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one feature of my invention I therefore provide, as a novel article of manufacture, a multi-purpose element for toy construction kits of the type outlined above, namely kits whose elements have cooperating coupling portions of male and female type. The multi-purpose element according to the invention constitutes at least a portion of a receptacle in which the remaining elements of the kit can be stored when the kit is not used, and this multi-purpose element includes wall means having two opposed sides. This wall means is provided with at least one slot extending longitudinally therein as well as being open from one to the other side of the wall means. The slot is configurated for releasably cooperating as a female coupling portion with the male coupling portions of such remaining elements of the toy construction kits with which the multi-purpose element is to be connected on being utilized as a part of the kit.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The single figure is a partly sectioned perspective view illustrating one embodiment of my invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail, it Will be seen that reference numeral 1 identifies a relatively large element in its entirety. This element 1 may be the lid of a receptacle for the remaining elements of a toy construction kit, or it may be the bottom part of the receptacle. Again, the element 1 could be considered as illustrative of the receptacle in its entirety. In the particular embodiment illustrated, it is assumed that the element 1 is the lid of such a receptacle, and this element 1 is, of course, illustrated only fragmentarily. The showing is such that the inside of the lid is being viewed and it will be seen that the lid comprises a major wall 4, which will ordinarily be the top wall of the receptacle and which, if the element 1 were the botom portion of the receptacle, would be the bottom wall of such bottom portion; the element 1 further comprises side walls 2 extending transversely of the major wall 4 and only one such side wall is illustrated. Inasmuch as the element 1 is assumed to be of relatively large dimensions it is provided with one or more reinforcing ribs 3 on the inner surface of the major wall 4 (only one such rib 3 being shown). Of course, if the dimensions of the element 1 are small enough to avoid the need for such ribs 3, the latter may be eliminated.

In accordance with the invention the major wall 4 of the element 1 is provided with one or more elongated slots 5 of which two are illustrated in the drawing. These slots in the illustrated embodiment extend transversely of the rib 3 and entirely penetrate the major wall 4 so that they extend from one to the other side of the latter as is clearly evident in the drawing. In the embodiment illustrated that side to which structural elements 7 (one shown) are to be connected is identified with reference numeral 411 and will be advantageously entirely planar. The other side, that is in the illustrated embodiment the inside, is identified with reference numeral 411. Adjacent the side 4a the slots 5 are relatively narrow, whereas adjacent the side 4b their cross-section diverges as is clearly visible in the drawing. This cross-sectional configuration of the slots 5 corresponds to the undercut cross-sectional configuration of male coupling heads or projections 8 provided on the structural elements 7 so that such coupling heads 8 can be coupled to the wall 4 by being introduced into an open end of the respective slot 5, whereupon they assume the position illustrated in the drawing in which the coupling heads (not shown) 8 are securely retained in the respec tive slots 5 and thus connect the structural elements 7 to the element 1 against withdrawal in the direction transversely of the elongation of the slots 5.

To make such insertion, and of course also withdrawal, still easier, any or all of the slots 5 may be provided at the closed ends thereofif anyor at any desired point along the respective slots, with enlargements or cutouts 9 which are so configurated that a coupling head 8 can be introduced thereinto transversely of the elongation of the respective slot 5, whereupon it can then be slid lengthwise of the slot and will be securely retained therein once it has moved into the portions of the slot which are not so enlarged.

The cross sectional configuration of the slots 5 corresponds, as is evident from the drawing, to the crosssectional configuration of undercut grooves 6 provided in any or all of the other remaining structural elements 7, the coupling heads 8 of any of such elements 7 being connected to other elements 7 by being inserted into the grooves 6 thereof in the same manner in which they can be inserted into the slots 5, as also clearly set forth in my abovementioned copending prior application.

If desired, the ribs 3 may be provided with cutouts 10 where they intersect the slots 5 so as not to interfere with sliding movement of any coupling heads 8 in such slots 5.

It will be clear that with this construction as shown in the drawing the surface on the side 4a of the wall 4 will be substantially planar and uninterrupted while connection of the structural elements 7 to the multipurpose element 1 is nevertheless made possible. Thus, movement of the connected elements 7 along the surface of the side 4 for instance reciprocating movement or other desired movements, is readily possible without any interference whatsoever. Of course, this construction also provides the other advantages outlined earlier as being desirable.

It is clear that the element 1 may not only be the lid of a receptacle, but may instead be the bottom portion of the receptacle as has already been pointed out.

The element 1 may advantageously consist of a synthetic plastic material which may or may not be identical with the material used for the elements 7. Of course, different material may also be used, that is the materials of the elements 1 and 7 may differ from one another, and materials other than synthetic plastic materials can be employed for the purposes at hand. However, the use of plastic material is advantageous because of the ease and relatively small expense with which the element 1 can be manufactured from such material.

The element 1 thus if clearly useable as a structural element of the toy construction kit, in conjunction with the remaining structural elements, namely those identifield with reference numeral 7. However, when it is not so being used, the element 1 constitutes the receptacle or a part of such receptacle, in which these structural elements 7 can be stored. It is of course clear that the element 1 will also house the remaining structural elements during storage and transport prior to sale of the kit. While it might at first sight appear as if the provision of the slots 5 would be disadvantageous during such storage and transporting prior to and in fact even after the sale of the kit, because the slots 5 would presumably admit dust into the interior of the kit, this is not the case because at least during storage and transport prior to sale the other struc tural elements within the kit will be covered and surrounded by a layer ofusually transparentplastic foil whose purpose it is to maintain them in their originally assigned positions so that they will present a neat and ordered appearance on opening of the receptacle. This foil of course also prevents the intrusion of dust and can later, that is after sale of the kit, be continued to be used for this same purpose.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a multi-purpose element of a toy construction kit, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

1. In a toy construction kit, structural elements having cooperating coupling portions of male and female type: and a receptacle in which said structural elements of the kit can be stored when the kit is not in use, said receptacle including a bottom receptacle part and a lid receptacle part, one of said receptacle parts comprising wall means having two opposed sides and provided with at least one slot extending longitudinally in said wall means as well as transversely through said wall means from one to the other of said sides, said slot being configurated for releasably cooperating as a female coupling portion with male coupling portions of said structural elements of the toy construction kit with which said receptacle part is to be connected on being utilized as a part of the kit, said slot also comprising at least one enlarged section having a cross-section corresponding at least to the maximum crosssection of said coupling heads for enabling introduction thereof into said slot transversely to the elongation of the latter.

2. In a toy construction kit as defined in claim 1, the male coupling portions of said structural elements being projecting coupling heads of undercut cross-sectional configuration, and wherein said slot has a cross-sectional configuration substantially complementary to that of said coupling heads.

3. In a toy construction kit as defined in claim 2, wherein said slot diverges in cross-sectional configuration from one to the other of said sides of said wall means.

4. In a toy construction kit as defined in claim 3, wherein said wall means comprises at least one raised reinforcing rib provided on at least one of said sides and extending transversely of the elongation of said slot intersecting the latter, and wherein said reinforcing rib is provided with a cut-out at the intersection thereof with said slot.

5 6 5. In a toy construction kit as defined in claim 4, where- 3,076,286 2/1963 Czecholinski 46-26 X in said rib projects from said one side and has a free 3,023,006 2/1962 Kovacs.

edge remote therefrom, and wherein said cut-out extends from said one side towards but short of said free edge. LOUIS G, MANCENE, Primary Examiner References Cited 5 C. R. WENTZEL, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Us Cl' 1,092,591 4/1914 Pajeau 46- 16 46 16 2,968,118 1/1961 Paulson 46-25 X 

